Company of Heroes Series

by atreyudevil Sun 19 Sep 2010, 12:41 pm

Company of Heroes

Ranking
93.82% Overall Rank: 59
PC Rank: 9
2006 Games Rank: 4
2006 PC Rank: 1

Company of Heroes Series 927618_66555

Thedevelopment team behind Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War is working on anew WWII real-time strategy game. Company of Heroes lets you guide yourtroops across a variety of battlefields in Europe.

Release Date: September 13, 2006

Company of Heroes Review

Posted by Saul Pachman January 24, 2007

Duringthe past several months, I read several articles about a soon-to-be-released Best Strategy Game of E3 and heir apparent to theGame of the Year Award, Company of Heroes. Whoamong us have not read about and anticipated “soon-to-be-released” PCgames, saved pre-release magazines articles and bookmarked Internetsites describing the PC game that you “must have” to be at peace withthe universe (again), viewed pre-release screen shots of beautifullyrendered action graphics and went to bed thinking about fulfilling thepromise of the ultimate gaming experience. Company of Heroeswas marketed with just such hoopla. I admit that I am among thoseimpulsive gamers who buy PC games immediately upon release. So whenthe Company of Heroes release date was announced, I rushed tothe local electronics store with credit card in hand to buy my ownpersonal copy of Company of Heroes. Was I to become yet again a victim(sigh) of media hype or would Company of Heroes deliver as promised? Withthe game finally in my hands I performed the acid test that all gamersshould, but frequently do not, perform before buying any PC game. Iam, of course, referring to checking system requirements. If yoursystem only meets the minimum system requirements, I recommend that youstay away from Company of Heroes. This game is a graphicallyintense program and you must be reasonably close to or exceed therecommended specs to fully enjoy the experience. There is a hugedifference between recommended and minimum specs.
Company of Heroes Series 1

With that prerequisite filled, make no mistake about it: Company of Heroesdelivers on its promise of excellence. But it’s not without itsdownsides that I hope to make you aware of before you buy this game.OK, here goes. As mentioned before, Company of Heroesis a graphically intense program so please assure yourself that yourcomputer is a Pentium IV 3.0 GHz processor or equivalent, has 1GB ofRAM and a 256MB NVIDIA/GeForce 6800 series or better graphics card.Whilethe game, which comes on 6 CDs, installs, you might as well startreading the manual. You will only gain three significant tidbits ofinformation: (1) a short description of the units that are in the game;(2) that the commander controls units, not individuals; and (3) arecommendation that the tutorial be played first. I would alsorecommend the latter. The tutorial covers only the most elementary oftactics but at least you’ll have the basics down pat and, as a bonus,you’ll have the time to enjoy the outstanding and detailed graphics ofCompany of Heroes. Thetutorial is divided into four parts – basic training, infantry combattraining, base operations, and armor training. The tutorial recommendsthat Company of Heroes is best played at the default camera setting –looking down at a slight angle. I do not personally like this view,but I did find all other angles and views disorienting and not terriblyuseful. Infantry training explains using cover, flanking, specialabilities, and upgrading. Base operations training discusses baseconstruction, capturing territory, and building defenses. The tutorialexposes that resource accumulation is an integral and crucial part of Company of Heroes. It further instructs that building watch towers is important and accelerates the collection of necessary resource points.Longstory made short, the tutorial can easily be completed in about anhour. Thereafter, if you feel ill-prepared for the game once you beginto play Company of Heroes, take consolation in the fact thatyou have plenty of company, hero or otherwise (lame pun intended). Just imagine how a WW II era GI felt after completing boot camp andfaced an uncertain future. Believe me, you’ll need that tense feelingof uncertainty and nervous tension to be successful playing Company of Heroes.

"...take consolation in the fact that you have plenty of company, hero or otherwise..."

Thetutorial is very structured, i.e, guided, but therein lies my firstcriticism. It would have been nice if a section either in the manual,tutorial, or the pre-battle briefings had been a bit more instructive. This is not game for casual gamers. For example, I’ve played a numberof the scenarios in the Skirmish mode at the easiest setting andperhaps won only two skirmishes after months of constant play. In both“victories,” I’m not at all sure why or how I did it. More on thispoint when Skirmish mode is discussed below.
Company of Heroes Series 4

The second criticism relates to a lengthy load times in all modes. However, given the wide scope of Company of Heroes and the highly detailed graphics, this is not so much as a criticism as a statement of fact.Thinkingthat the Skirmish mode would be short and only a little more difficultthan the basic training, I started playing one of the fifteenskirmishes. I chose this mode because it seemed to be a logicalstarting point. However, I soon noticed that this game’s definition of“skirmish” was not vaguely like my own. To me, a skirmish is a brief,almost accidental battle or probing of one side against the other. In Company of Heroes,the gamer could well play in this mode for months and still not exhaustpossibilities. This is made possible by gamer controlled variables –German or American units; victory conditions of varying decliningpoints (1000, 500, or 250) or annihilation; variable or fixed locationof resource base; difficulty level (easy to expert); and higher thannormal resources at the start or normal resource level at the start.Iunderstand what “annihilation” means well enough. Nevertheless,without an explanation the “why and how” of game rules and theirmeanings, victory becomes almost impossible except, as I have done, byaccident. Believe me, my many defeats weren’t due to a lack of trying. Whether you play a defensive strategy with tank traps, barbed wire,land mines, sandbags, and concealed ambushes or aggressively oranywhere in between, in my opinion this mode of Company of Heroesis unfairly biased or not designed for the casual players or so-sotacticians. Winning easily and all the time is no fun but neither isalways losing. Company of Heroes Series 8

Thescreenshot to the right is from one of the Skirmishes with the cameraangle that I prefer. As you can see, from this angle the gamer cannotsee the entire battlefield clearly, a fact that means disaster is at hand and unseen. Ifyou are a casual gamer but well past the arcade stage of gamingdevelopment, may I suggest Campaign as place to totally enjoy the Company of Heroes experience and a good place to be as you begin playing this game. TheCampaign module consists of a story line that follows the fictitiousAble Company, from D-Day to the crossing of the Rhine and into Germany.TheCampaign only allows one to play as an American, so “what if” scenariosare not an option. The first mission – D-Day landing – is full ofvisual and audio cues and help in achieving mission objectives. That,of course, changes to incomplete information and only generalizedbriefings as you progress through the Campaign even if you do notadjust the level of difficulty setting beyond Easy (highest level isExpert). Unlimited saves are allowed, but I suggest playing eachmission through without saving to get the full effect of a real battle. Each of the fifteen battles in the Campaign will require constantadjustments to one’s battlefield strategy, but this is one of the bigreasons I consider Company of Heroes an excellent game. Company of Heroes Series 7

Thescreenshot to the left is of the D-Day Landing, Mission #1 of theCampaign. Notice the various cues. The map insert on the bottom rightis available throughout game play and clicking on it brings up adetailed map of the battlefield.Theone quirk in the Campaign Mode resides in Mission #13 – “MortainCounter Attack.” For reasons known only to Relic, victory conditionschange from simply meeting objectives to the infamous declining pointssystem. Perhaps I am alone in not understanding this system but as Ipreviously pointed out, the program’s manual omits explanation beyondgeneral terms of “kill the enemy,” “capture resource points,” “build upresources,” and “increase and defend territory.” Withoutan understanding of the game rules and with a progressive campaignscheme of increasing difficulty, by mission thirteen, total frustrationsuddenly sets in. Not illogically, Mission #12 – Mortain must be wellfought to be able to repel the German armor and artillery attacks. Forme, that meant I was not able to play the last two missions in theCampaign. I only discovered this fact when I played Campaign Mode fora second time and actually did better in Mission 12 than previously.Given all of the above, what does one need to know to make an intelligent decision on Company of Heroes? Firstly, the graphics are outstanding and these visuals are supportedby above average voice acting, appropriate background music, and soundwork that differentiates between the sounds of different weapons. No,the ground does not shake with the ominous sound of approaching heavyarmor nor is the terror of incoming 88s shelling replicated here, butit’s close enough for government work.
Company of Heroes Series 10

In short, this is an excellent strategy game, but be forewarned: Relic should have titledt his game Company of Heroes – Only for Those Who Take Their Gaming Very Seriously.
"In short, this is an excellent strategy game..."

by atreyudevil Sun 19 Sep 2010, 12:48 pm

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

The Ranking

87.15%

Overall Rank: 704
PC Rank: 175
2007 Games Rank: 41
2007 PC Rank: 13

Description

Company of Heroes Series 938946_86280

Companyof Heroes: Opposing Fronts, the next chapter in the real-time strategyfranchise from Relic Entertainment is powered by an upgraded version ofRelic's proprietary Essence Engine with full Microsoft DirectX 10support. Opposing Fronts features two unique armies with full lengthcampaigns. Players can fight as the tenacious British 2nd Army duringthe heroic World War II liberation of Caen, France, or command theGerman Panzer Elite as they struggle to repel the might of OperationMarket Garden, the largest airborne invasion in history.

Release Date: September 24, 2007

Minimum Requirements: P4 2Ghz, 512MB RAM, 64MB video card
Reviewed On: [size=7]Intel C2D 6300, 2GB RAM, 8800 GTS[/size]

Company of Heroes was one of the most impressive releases for a new franchise within the strategy genre. Having launched the Homeworldseries, such a start was nothing new for Relic. But for those of us whowere growing weary of the state of real-time strategy games, CoH was a breath of fresh air that reenergized the genre. Continuing the battle onward is the new expansion, Opposing Fronts,giving gamers access to German and British forces in the OperationMarket Garden and the battle for Caen campaigns. Similar to theoriginal, it’s a fantastic game, though this outing is marred byprivacy protection woes that nearly sent this reviewer screaming.

I was really digging what Relic and THQ had going up until this point. Company of Heroes, the Dawn of Wartitles, I had a blast with all of them. I was even enjoying the abilityto play the games without the disc in the driver. Finally, companiesare realizing that not everyone is a pirate … oh … wait. Wheninstalling Opposing Fronts, a message comes up saying that the original Company of Heroeshas been detected and needs to be deleted, but that I can enter in theCD key later. Okay. So, I uninstall the original, and then I proceed togo through what has to be the longest base installation I have ever hadto go through. Around an hour or so later – seriously, the thing justkeeps installing and installing – I am greeted to a panel that featuresboxes for some information. Oh, a Relic Online account. What’s this? Idon’t need the disc in the drive if I sign up for it? I can keep trackof my stats and hop into online games whenever I want? Sounds cool, butmaybe later. No, there is no later. To even access the single-playercampaign, you have to create a Relic Online account. The only otheroption is to turn off your Ethernet port whenever you play, which isn’tall that viable for most people, myself included. Thinking that I canjust pop the disc in and avoid all this, I try ejecting it and tryingthat. Nope. Then I sit through another hour plus of patch installs.

Onceall of the patches are finished download and installing – an overlylong process that involves being booted back to the desktop andmanually going back into the game – I realize that I have to go throughthis, otherwise the game won’t continue. A later patch tells me that Ineed it to play online, but the truth is that I need it to play,period. Problem: that patch doesn’t work right, resulting in a messagetelling me the patch is downloaded and needs to install, only to haveme booted out and nothing happen. And this is what happens whenridiculous piracy measures are implemented. Oh, but that’s not all. Ithen got to track down my original Company of Heroes CD key, enter it, then insert the disc to have the media validated, and then tell them where I purchased it. What the hell? Like Dawn of War,having the original opens up the other sides for online play, and italso makes the original campaign selectable from the main menu. Quitethe workout, no?

So,after three or so hours of installing, downloading, restarting, anddownloading some more, I am finally ready to play the game. Now, whydid I spend so long talking about the installation program? I did itbecause it is absolutely ludicrous, and I do not need to feel like apirate because I want to play a game.

Thegame itself is great. The ‘wow’ factor has worn off a bit, as it’s notquite the revelation that its predecessor was, but it’s still anamazing experience. Aside from improved AI, there is also dynamicweather, which not only looks incredible but it also makes spottingtroop movement more difficult – the kind of small touches that set theoriginal apart and ahead of its competition. The basics are still there– troops still seek cover behind objects, units have upgrades andspecial abilities, there are still resource points that need to becontrolled, and everything as theatric as you remember. If you are newto the series, as this is a standalone expansion, then you might wantto pick up the original, as there is little in the way of training fornewcomers.

Thenew factions have their own unique styles as well. The German PanzerElite are very mobile, with a variety of upgradeable halftracks thatcan bombard with artillery, replenish squads, and provide coveringfire. There are also heavy tanks, and mobile heavy artillery. Thesquads can be upgraded for heavy infantry and anti armor combat, whichare lethal combinations when pilled into a few halftracks and escortedby a handful of tanks. Their approach is to storm an area, hit it hard,and then shell the outlying remnants; and then to shell whatevercounterattack is approaching. The variety of mobile units isimpressive, and the infantry can take a pounding. There are alsospecial units that can appear from houses for heavy close combat, orspecial forces that can erect anti aircraft fire for taking outincoming armor. The tactic of rushing in, tussling hard, then moving onis exciting, as it all depends on keeping up the momentum and notletting any unit go to waste.

Onthe other side of the coin is the British Army 2nd Army. Instead ofrushing in, the British pound an area to dust before going in. Theirarmor and units aren’t as hardy as the Germans, but they can still packa punch. There are also lieutenants that can spur squads on with theirleadership skills. Instead of having a few antitank or ant air guns,their engineers can construct massive artillery emplacements that candevastate areas. For maximum destruction, areas can be bombed insuccession, slowly moving into a designated direction, sending bodyparts and vehicle pieces flying. While areas are being blasted, specialsquads can go ahead and snipe entrenched enemies while their mobilebase uproots and scoots across the map. The contrast between the howeach faction advances really plays well and brings a lot of life tomultiplayer.

Thetwo campaigns are actually fairly lengthy, each with the usualvictory-through-attrition missions that are so satisfying to complete.There is something about the way levels play out in Company of Heroesthat makes them so exciting, with the territories going back and forthbetween sides, small engagements being for high stakes, there’s justthis great sense of immediacy that permeates throughout. Any flag canerupt in a huge conflict that destroys all of your available troops, ora delay tactic can result in some squads rushing around the conflictand draining the enemy of vital supplies. The constant need to keeptrack of who is getting what resource and where each is located keepsthe pace, even if things aren’t happening; and the off-screen support,made available through experience points, keeps everyone on their toesas that extra support tank or elite squad can turn the tide. The factthat there isn’t a single wasted unit is so impressive; the unitupgrades and limited population cap make every vehicle and squadimportant, and their abilities can make even the wounded a hero. Forthose experiencing this for the first time, you are in for a treat; forthose who have enjoyed the original, it won’t quite be the same as thefirst time, though a few more additions would’ve helped, but it’s stilla thrill.

Multiplayer is also integrated heavily, now. Thegame automatically starts out at the Relic Online login screen, and themain menu has a top bar that has a button that jumps straight toautomatch online play and buttons to a friends list and stats as well.The main multiplayer screen not only shows the games available, butalso has news, game history, medals, and chat rooms. It’s definitelyset up nicely, and the service is robust, I just wish it wasn’tmandatory and a requirement for solo play.

Overall: 8/10
Company of Heroes: Opposing Forcesis a great expansion. Those who don’t own the original might want toinvest in it, not only to learn the ropes, but to also unlock the U.S.in multiplayer. Since the disc isn’t needed for the original campaignonce the CD key and media validation process is finished, I supposethat means the original is installed with the expansion, so you mightas well play what’s already there - plus the fact that it’s a greatgame, well worth your time. Installation and Relic Online aggravationsaside (and with a deep breath), Opposing Forces offers a great campaign, albeit a little light on the new units, and should please any real-time strategy fan.

by atreyudevil Sun 19 Sep 2010, 12:52 pm

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor

The Ranking

71.59%

Description

Company of Heroes Series 953028_112119

Companyof Heroes: Tales of Valor is the next standalone chapter in the Companyof Heroes franchise, featuring all-new content, including threesingle-player campaigns, new multiplayer modes, additional maps andunits. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor also introduces a new"direct-fire" feature that allows players more tactical control oftheir units and more strategic options in-game. Developed by internalstudio Relic Entertainment and powered by Relic's proprietary EssenceEngine, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor is fully compatible withCompany of Heroes and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, allowingplayers who own the entire series complete access to the epic battlesof World War.

Release Date: April 7, 2009

Company of Heroes Series 1243273534cBlAZWnqNg

Back when Company of Heroeswas released many were amazed at the progress Relic pushed forward onthe RTS scene. This lightning struck a second time with the release of Dawn of War II,which, again, pushed the genre forward a good bit. Some time haspassed, the dust has settled, and Relic has released a secondstand-alone expansion to Company of Heroes entitled Tales of Valor,asking players to enlist in World War II yet again. Is there enoughcontent to justify a second tour, or should gamers fake a back injuryand get sent home early?

The singleplayer sees a slightexpansion that can be completed in an afternoon by anyone who alreadyknows the game's engine fairly well. Three campaigns separated intothree parts each round out the game's nine additional missions. Eachmission focuses on the tale of a small group of units, boiling awayadditional RTS elements and leaving a core experience similar to Dawn of War II's.While some missions involve creating units or capturing bases, they areusually secondary to commanding a squad down streets and throughalleys, creating more intimate fights. They're different than Company of Heroesnormal missions, enough so that purists (see: the stand-aloneexpansion's audience) might feel a bit isolated, but they're generallypretty fun.

Company of Heroes Series 12432734923cDdB4vrK0

Company of Heroes Series 12432734923cDdB4vrK0

Tales of Valor'smultiplayer might not give the long-lasting satisfaction that theoriginal did, but there's definitely a few wrenches thrown into theworks that create unique playtypes that should supply a burly amount ofreplayability. Each of the three modes closely resembles gameplay modesfeatured in other hit titles, which, while a bit different, is a breathof fresh air in the RTS online scene.

Panzerkrieg has players controlling a single tank and capturing bases while defending against enemy tanks and units in a Battlefield sort of way; Stonewall plays like Gears of War 2'shorde mode, leaving it to a team of players to hold out in a small townas waves of enemies attack; and Assault can easilly be related to Demigod,with players choosing a specific powerful unit and leveling him upwhile fighting an AI controlled army and enemy units. Each provides awholly unique experience, and shows how the mechanics of an RTS can beadapted to just about any idea.

Company of Heroes Series 1243273351uswmKYgjTg

Company of Heroes Series 1243273351uswmKYgjTg

Theproblem is, for as fun as the new campaign modes and multiplayerselections are, they're not really that deep. The singleplayer can beknocked out in a few hours and the multiplayer offerings pale incomparison to the scale of those already found in Company of Heroes.But just because the scale is lower doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable,and many might find the different modes found in the expansion morethan worth the price. Tales of Valor is likely worth apurchase for fans of the series and anyone looking for something tospend some time on before a bigger, more complete RTS hits later in theyear.

by atreyudevil Sun 19 Sep 2010, 12:55 pm

Company of Heroes designer killed in car crash

Bev Chen
07 Sep, 2010

PC News | A true hero.
Company of Heroes Series Brian_Wood

Brian Wood, a lead designer for the acclaimed Company of Heroes series, has been killed in a car crash. He was 33 years old.

Canadian news site The Province,has reported that Wood had swerved his vehicle in order to avoidcollision with a Chevy Blazer, saving his wife Erin and their unbornchild.

“All the policeman say that if we had hit the car head-on all of uswould be dead. At the very last second (Brian) braked really hard andturned right so that he would be put in the path of the SUV and not meand the baby, and that is the only thing that saved us both.

“I am not going to waste the gift he gave us.”

Investigation of the Chevy Blazer later revealed that there wasevidence of drug use within the vehicle. While the investigationcontinues, the driver of the vehicle is now in custody awaiting charges.

by kapokbesi Sun 02 Oct 2011, 8:44 am

game yg superb utk strategist..best maen nih..

by azim09 Sun 02 Oct 2011, 8:45 am

test la artillery barrage nye doktrin kat game ni.....wa pun suka gak main game ni...

by kapokbesi Sun 02 Oct 2011, 8:53 am

hehe..betul2..artilery barrage kt CoH.. tp, ade 1 game lgi yg ade call for artilery support.. Panzers Phase II klu xsilap..artilery barrage die cm best..tp game tu lame dah..zamn awal 2000.. Smile

by kapokbesi Sun 02 Oct 2011, 9:20 am

ni yg phase two..ade phase one.. Smile

by azim09 Sun 02 Oct 2011, 9:26 am

world in conflict pun ade, complete ngan air strike package skali...

by dewafrost Sun 02 Oct 2011, 9:38 am

call of duty yg baru, modern war fare part 2 punyaaa.......

by Sponsored content

Company of Heroes Series

Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series

Re: Company of Heroes Series